Queensland in Dally M box seat

[TITAN PETE]

By Ben Blaschke
NRL.com
7:19am Mon 30th September, 2013



They secured a record eighth straight State of Origin victory this year and legendary Maroons halfback Allan Langer believes Queensland will add another notch to their belt when the 2013 Dally M winner is named on Tuesday night.

This year’s Dally M medal count looks like being one of the closest on record with at least half a dozen players in contention. They include 2010 winner Todd Carney, Newcastle playmaker Jarrod Mullen and South Sydney five-eighth John Sutton, however the strongest challenge is likely to come from north of the border with Queensland stars Johnathan Thurston, Greg Inglis, Cooper Cronk and Daly Cherry-Evans among the favourites for the top gong.

Should any of those claim the medal it will be the third year in a row a Queenslander has been named Dally M Player of the Year after Billy Slater in 2011 and Ben Barba last year.

Langer, who won the Dally M medal in 1996, told NRL.com he expected the Maroons contingent to have a big say in this year’s Dally M battle.

“It’s been another great year for Queensland and it will be a big fight on Tuesday but I think it will be a great night for one of them,” he said. “The only thing I’m sure of though is that there won’t be a runaway winner. I think there will be a lot of players in contention.”

When Dally M voting went behind closed doors after Round 16 it was Cronk leading the way on 16 points ahead of Inglis, Sutton and Mullen all just a single point behind.

However, it was the presence of Thurston and Cherry-Evans on 13 points that has piqued Langer’s interest given both North Queensland and Manly enjoyed particularly strong finishes to the regular season with their star playmakers at the helm.

“Certainly Johnathan Thurston will be up there,” Langer said. “He didn’t start the year off so well but he finished off great and you’ve got to look at the teams still around so Cherry-Evans will be in contention too.

“He has come such a long way in such a short space of time. I’ve been involved with him for the Origin side and he just has a bright future ahead of him. He’s got a great head on his shoulders and he loves his footy. That’s the way he plays. You see on the field he always has a smile on his face and is joking around. He’s a really impressive young player.”

Others to keep an eye on include Roosters duo Sonny Bill Williams and James Maloney although they have some ground to make-up after sitting six points behind Cronk when the voting went behind closed doors.

WHERE THEY STOOD

16 C Cronk (Storm)

15 G Inglis (Rabbitohs)

15 J Sutton (Rabbitohs)

15 J Mullen (Knights)

13 D Cherry-Evans (Sea Eagles)

13 J Thurston (Cowboys)

13 R Farah (Tigers)

12 C Parker (Broncos)

12 J Reynolds (Bulldogs)

12 T Carney (Sharks)

12 A Woods (Tigers)

11 C Smith (Storm)

10 G Bird (Titans)

10 A Kelly (Titans)

10 I Luke (Rabbitohs)

10 J Maloney (Roosters)

10 S B Williams (Roosters)

OTHER AWARDS

Fullback

Greg Inglis would appear to be a lock given he sat six points clear of next best fullback, Jarryd Hayne, after 16 rounds. Billy Slater and Darius Boyd are his most likely challengers while Brett Stewart’s injury-plagued season will likely count against him.

Wing

One of the hardest fought positions this season. Roosters winger Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has stunned all with his athleticism while the Knights’ James McManus managed to overshadow the Newcastle’s Fijian Flyer Akuila Uate in 2013 with 19 tries. Penrith winger David Simmons is a great chance after also scoring 19 tries while David Williams has been in great form for Manly during the back-end of the season.

Centre

There is every chance the winner of this award will be looking for a double celebration come grand final day with Manly duo Jamie Lyon and Steve Matai having both excelled in 2013 and Roosters star Michael Jennings back to his best since changing clubs in the pre-season. A dark horse might be Melbourne’s right centre Will Chambers who proved nearly unstoppable over the closing rounds.

Five-eighth

A battle royale looms here with two-timer Dally M winner Johnathan Thurston a great chance of making it three. But first he’ll have to ward off the challenge of his fellow No.6s – and plenty have put their hand up in 2013. John Sutton, Todd Carney, Kieran Foran and James Maloney all have reasonable claims to the title of Dally M Five-Eighth of the Year.

Halfback

This looks like a race between Maroons teammates Cooper Cronk and Daly Cherry-Evans. Cronk was the overall points leader after 16 Rounds with Cherry-Evans three points behind but the form of the latter during the second half of the season is hard to resist. Remember, too, that Cronk also led the way after 16 Rounds in 2012 but eventually finished a full seven points behind winner Ben Barba! Roosters half Mitchell Pearce and Warriors dynamo Shaun Johnson produced enough big games to make things interesting.

Lock

It’s tough to pick a clear winner here – a cause not helped by the tendency of some coaches to swap their players around from week to week. Rabbitohs enforcer Sam Burgess is an example given he has played front row, second row and lock in 2013. Still, he should be a leading contender for at least one of those positions alongside Manly’s Glenn Stewart and tireless Broncos veteran Corey Parker.

Second Row

Can anyone stop Sonny Bill Williams? His impact this season has been profound and alongside Greg Bird he was the leading back-rower after 16 Rounds with 10 points. SBW missed some games through suspension later in the year which could hurt his cause although it is likely this will be a race between the Kiwi superstar and Bird. Smokeys could be fellow Rooster Boyd Cordner and Canberra’s Josh Papalii.

Front Row

What an impact the big men have had on this 2013 season. Grand finalists the Roosters might have been strong all year but they have looked a very different side when Jared Waerea-Hargreaves has been missing. His presence has been crucial all year but he faces some tough challenges for this award with Cronulla’s Andrew Fifita, North Queensland Matt Scott and South Sydney giant George Burgess all superb this year. Fifita in particular emerged as one of the best forwards in the game with a series of match-winning performances in which he ran for well over 200 metres.

Hooker

Cameron Smith will be tough to beat – as usual. Even when the Storm’s form was patchy, Smith was consistently their best player. He will face some strong challenges though from South Sydney’s Issac Luke and the ultra-impressive Jake Friend. Robbie Farah actually topped the list of hookers on 13 points after 16 Rounds with Smith on 11 and Luke 10 but the Tigers’ woeful year and the cheek fracture that sidelined him mid-season could have cruelled his cause. Smith looks to be the leading contender again.

Rookie

The NRL’s production line of young talent produced some crackers in 2013 with the likes of George Burgess, his South Sydney teammate Dylan Walker and Canberra’s Anthony Milford among the standouts. Burgess must be an early favourite given he is also a contender for Prop of the Year although Milford certainly made his presence felt in an otherwise forgettable season in the nation’s capital.

Coach

Although super coach Wayne Bennett won the sentimental vote as Newcastle made a late charge through the finals, it’s hard to go past his other three “final four” rivals to fight it out for this award. Leading the way is the Roosters’ young coach Trent Robinson who has taken his side from 12th to the minor premiership and grand final in just 12 months. Michael Maguire continues to work wonders at South Sydney while Manly’s Geoff Toovey has done a remarkable job to guide his team through to the decider. Notably, he is just the sixth Sea Eagles coach to achieve a top-four finish in each of his first two seasons in charge.

[TITAN PETE]

I think DCE has played brilliantly this season & will pick up the top prize.

Other picks for me are

Fullback

Greg Inglis

Wing

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck

Centre

Jamie Lyon

Five-eighth

James Maloney

Halfback

Daly Cherry-Evans

Lock

Sam Burgess

Second Row

Sonny Bill Williams

Front Row

Andrew Fifita

Hooker

Cameron Smith

Rookie

George Burgess

Coach

Trent Robinson

[DIEHARD]

I forgot all about the Dally Ms. Something to look forward to indeed. Hoping a Queenslander can win it. Your picks Petes will be pretty close to the mark.

[TITAN PETE]

What a great finish that went down to the last round
28 Cronk
26 DCE
26 JT
26 Carney

Having the Gladiator doing the running scoreboard was pretty cool too.

[TITAN PETE]

Cooper Cronk wins Dally M player of the year

NRL.com
10:27pm Tue 01st October, 2013



In the most thrilling count in Dally M Medal history, Melbourne Storm halfback Cooper Cronk has defied late challenges from Daly Cherry-Evans, Johnathan Thurston and Todd Carney to win Rugby League’s highest individual honour for the first time in front of a star-studded audience at The Star, in Sydney.

Sharing the lead on 26 points at the end of the penultimate round of voting, Cronk watched on as Cherry-Evans and Thurston both polled two points in the final round to jump into a four-way tie for the lead.

With the luckless Carney, the 2010 Dally M Medal winner, stranded on 26 points after missing the final two matches through injury, the last chance to snatch the award fell to Cronk.

Like so many times during the season, Cronk rose to the occasion, claiming two points in the Storm’s enthralling final round golden-point win over the Titans after kicking the match-winning field goal.

Cronk, who was presented with the Dally M Medal by Academy Award-winning actor Russell Crowe, is the third Melbourne Storm player to win League’s highest individual honour, after Billy Slater in 2011 and Cameron Smith in 2006.

The Kangaroos and Maroons playmaker also received the Dally M Halfback of the Year prize in another memorable awards night for the Storm, with Smith also claiming multiple honours after being crowned Hooker of the Year, Captain of the Year and Representative Player of the Year.

For Carney and Thurston, there was the consolation of becoming the first players to share a positional award with the five-eighths both finishing on 26 points. Players who finish in the top three of voting automatically win their positional award.

Minor Premiers and Grand Finalists the Sydney Roosters were recognised for their memorable season with young guns Boyd Cordner (Second-Rower of the Year) and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (Winger of the Year) joining NRL rookie coach Trent Robinson (Coach of the Year) in winning their first Dally M positional awards, while James Maloney was presented with the top point-scorer award.

South Sydney superstar Greg Inglis received the Provan-Summons Medal as the best player in the game as voted by the fans, as well as being named Dally M Fullback of the Year for the first time.

Rabbitohs team-mate George Burgess was named the Peter Moore Rookie of the Year and, in a touching family moment, shared the stage with brothers Sam, Luke and Thomas to receive the Peter Frilingos Headline Moment of the Year from The Daily Telegraph.

The award was presented in honour of their historic appearance against Wests Tigers in which they became the first quartet of brothers in more than 100 years to play alongside each other in Australia's top-flight league competition.

The full list of Dally M Award winners is:

Dally M Medal: Cooper Cronk (Melbourne Storm)

Provan-Summons Medal: Greg Inglis (South Sydney Rabbitohs)

Captain: Cameron Smith (Melbourne Storm)

Fullback: Greg Inglis (South Sydney Rabbitohs)

Winger: Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (Sydney Roosters)

Centre: Jamie Lyon (Manly Warringah Sea Eagles)

Five-Eighth: Johnathan Thurston (North Qld Cowboys) and Todd Carney (Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

Halfback: Cooper Cronk (Melbourne Storm)

Lock: Corey Parker (Brisbane Broncos)

Second Row: Boyd Cordner (Sydney Roosters)

Prop: Andrew Fifita (Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks)

Hooker: Cameron Smith (Melbourne Storm)

Coach: Trent Robinson (Sydney Roosters)

Rep Player: Cameron Smith (Melbourne Storm)

Rookie: George Burgess (South Sydney Rabbitohs)

Holden Cup Player of Year: Bryce Cartwright (Penrith Panthers)

Top Point-Scorer: James Maloney (Sydney Roosters)

Top Try-Scorer (shared): David Williams (Manly Warringah Sea Eagles)

James McManus (Newcastle Knights)

David Simmons (Penrith Panthers)

Peter Frilingos Headline Moment: The four Burgess brothers (Sam, Luke, Thomas and George) playing together for the first time for South Sydney v Wests Tigers

The 2013 Dally M Medal judges were Ben Ikin, Greg Alexander and Gary Belcher (Fox Sports), Andrew Johns, Brad Fittler and Wally Lewis (Channel 9), Daryl Halligan (Sky NZ) and Dean Ritchie, Josh Massoud, Nick Walshaw, Paul Crawley, Paul Kent and Barry Toohey (The Daily Telegraph).

Dally M Medal Honour Roll

2013: Cooper Cronk (Melbourne Storm)

2012: Ben Barba (Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs)

2011: Billy Slater (Melbourne Storm)

2010: Todd Carney (Sydney Roosters)

2009: Jarryd Hayne (Parramatta Eels)

2008: Matt Orford (Manly Sea Eagles)

2007: Johnathan Thurston (North Qld Cowboys)

2006: Cameron Smith (Melbourne Storm)

2005: Johnathan Thurston (North Qld Cowboys)

2004: Danny Buderus (Newcastle Knights)

2003: Not awarded

2002: Andrew Johns (Newcastle Knights)

2001: Preston Campbell (Cronulla Sharks)

2000: Trent Barrett (St George Illawarra Dragons)

1999: Andrew Johns (Newcastle Knights)

1998: Andrew Johns (Newcastle Knights)

1997: Not awarded

1996: Allan Langer (Brisbane Broncos)

1995: Laurie Daley (Canberra Raiders)

1994: Cliff Lyons (Manly Sea Eagles)

1993: Ricky Stuart (Canberra Raiders)

1992: Gary Freeman (Eastern Suburbs Roosters)

1991: Michael Potter (St George Dragons)

1990: Cliff Lyons (Manly Sea Eagles)

1989: Gavin Miller (Cronulla Sharks)

1988: Gavin Miller (Cronulla Sharks)

1987: Peter Sterling (Parramatta Eels)

1986: Peter Sterling (Parramatta Eels)

1985: Greg Alexander (Penrith Panthers)

1984: Michael Potter (Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs)

1983: Terry Lamb (Western Suburbs Magpies)

1982: Ray Price (Parramatta Eels)

1981: Steve Rogers (Cronulla Sharks)

1980: Robert Laurie (South Sydney Rabbitohs)

[shamus]

2003: Craig Gower (Penrith Panthers)

Poor Bastard...Nuthin' to tell his grandkids.

Well not quite correct....he could tell his grandkids about his 2005 Charity Golf day event. People say he had loads of fun that day.

[TITAN PETE]

2003: Craig Gower (Penrith Panthers)

Poor Bastard...Nuthin' to tell his grandkids.

Well not quite correct....he could tell his grandkids about his 2005 Charity Golf day event. People say he had loads of fun that day.

Think he won a Police Record that day